Chapter 25
Twenty-Five
T he morning sun filtered through the curtains as Becky slowly opened her eyes. For a moment, she reveled in the quiet that filled the bedroom—a peace made all the more valuable for its scarcity. With three kids under five in their home, life was hectic.
Rodney's arm was draped over her waist, his breathing steady against her neck.
Being married to her best friend was better than she could have ever imagined.
She smiled, still amazed at how quickly they had fallen into a comfortable rhythm as husband and wife.
The road hadn't been entirely smooth, but each storm they weathered together had brought them even closer.
A small sound from the baby monitor drew her attention. Marley was stirring, though not yet demanding attention with her characteristic determination. Becky carefully extricated herself from Rodney's embrace and padded across the hardwood floor.
"I've got her," Rodney mumbled, his voice thick with sleep.
"Go back to sleep," she whispered. "I want to check on the horses anyway."
Rodney smiled without opening his eyes. "Tell Jasper good morning for me."
Jasper was his favorite, although Becky was not sure why. Still, she leaned down to kiss his forehead before slipping out of the room. The hallway was lined with three doors—two nurseries and one bedroom for Theo, Stella's son, whose legal adoption they had finalized just last month.
She peeked into Theo's room first. At nearly four years old, he had adjusted to his new life with remarkable resilience.
There had been difficult nights, tantrums, and tearful questions about his mother, but he had slowly begun to trust them.
Now he slept peacefully, clutching the stuffed horse Becky had given him when he first arrived.
In the nursery, Marley was awake but content, gnawing on her fist and kicking her legs. Kevin, predictably, remained asleep in his crib across the room.
"Good morning, sweet girl," Becky whispered, lifting Marley into her arms. "Want to come see the horses with me?"
After a quick diaper change and bundling Marley in a warm outfit suitable for the cool of early morning, Becky headed downstairs.
She left a note for Rodney on the kitchen counter, though she’d already told him she was going to check the horses and she knew he wouldn’t need a note to know where she’d gone.
Outside, the air was crisp but held the promise of warming into a beautiful Michigan summer day.
"Look, Marley," Becky pointed to the barn. "Where are we going?"
Marley babbled in response, her eyes wide as she took in the big building ahead of them. At seven months old, the twins were becoming more aware of their surroundings daily. It was fun to see their curiosity and enjoyment of the world around them.
As they approached the stable, familiar welcoming nickers reached her ears.
The sound still brought tears to her eyes sometimes.
When Rodney had surprised her by bringing her Clydesdales back, she had been overwhelmed with emotion.
It had taken weeks to really believe they were hers again—that she could keep them without the constant worry of how to afford their care.
She would always be grateful to Rodney for knowing her heart and wanting to give her everything, even though the longer she lived, the more she only wanted her family.
"Good morning, beautiful friends," she called as she entered the stable. Jasper's head immediately appeared over his stall door, his ears pricked forward in greeting.
"See the horsie, Marley?" Becky held her daughter up to see better, keeping a safe distance. Marley squealed and reached out her chubby hands.
"She's going to be just like her aunt," a deep voice said from behind her.
Becky turned to see Rodney standing in the doorway, Kevin in his arms.
"I thought I'd let you sleep," she said.
"And miss morning chores? Not a chance." He crossed to her side and kissed her softly. "Besides, this little guy decided he didn't want to miss out on the adventure."
Kevin gurgled happily, his eyes fixed on the massive horses.
"Where's Theo?" Becky asked.
"Still sleeping. I set up the monitor in the stable office so we'll hear when he wakes up."
This had become their morning routine when weather permitted—caring for the horses together while the children either joined them or stayed safely monitored in the house. It was different from the solitary mornings Becky had spent in her previous life, but so, so much better.
"I'm thinking of maybe offering a few days where I do carriage rides this summer," Becky said as she measured out grain. "Just weekend rides for tourists. Nothing too demanding."
Rodney smiled. "I think that sounds perfect. You know I'll help however I can."
"You're already doing more than I ever expected, running your business from home, helping with the kids."
"I wouldn't have it any other way," he replied, shifting Kevin to his other arm. "Though I admit, I'm glad I kept Angela as my assistant. She's been amazing at keeping everything organized while I'm changing diapers."
Becky laughed. "The great businessman, brought to his knees by tiny humans."
"The best kind of humbling." His expression grew more serious. "Any word from Stella?"
Becky shook her head. "Not since that postcard from Florida last month."
After the adoption, Stella had disappeared with her windfall.
They received occasional postcards—Florida, Vegas, California—but no real communication.
Becky had insisted they leave a door open, should Stella ever want to be part of Theo's life in a healthy way.
Rodney had been skeptical but supportive of Becky's compassion.
"I've been praying for her," Rodney admitted. "I can't imagine living that way, always searching for the next thrill but never finding peace."
Becky nodded. "Me too, surprisingly. I will always have a place in my heart for her because she gave us Theo. And watching him bloom here with us—I can't help but be grateful."
As if on cue, the monitor crackled with sounds of Theo awakening. His sleepy voice called out, "Daddy? Mommy?"
The simple words still had the power to stop Becky's heart for a moment. The first time he had called her "Mommy" had been just weeks ago, and she treasured each instance.
"I'll go get him," Rodney said, handing Kevin to her. "He'll want to help with the horses."
As Rodney headed back to the house, Becky looked at the babies in her arms, then at the horses watching her expectantly.
Her sister's absence was a constant ache, especially when she saw Rita's features reflected in the twins' faces.
But there was joy too—a deep, abiding joy that came from the family God had created from broken pieces.
It wasn’t the way she expected her life to turn out, but she couldn’t have planned it better.
"Thank you, Lord," she whispered, "for all of this. For bringing us where we needed to be, even when the path wasn't what we expected."
Jasper nickered softly, as if in agreement. In the distance, she could see Rodney returning with Theo on his shoulders, the boy's laughter carrying across the morning air.
Six months ago, she couldn't have imagined this life. Now, she couldn't imagine any other.
“Becky?”
She turned at the familiar voice.
“Dad?” she said, unable to keep the shock out of her voice as she saw Kristen and Luke striding up from where they’d parked by the barn. “You weren’t supposed to be back for another month!” She recovered sufficiently to hurry toward them, a twin in each arm.
“Babies?” Kristen said, looking confused.
Becky had kept her promise to her sister.
She hadn’t told her parents anything that would have brought them home from Alaska early.
Her heart sank as she thought about what she had to say.
Rita’s death being at the top. That would be hard, but there was Theo and Stella and Kevin and Marley. So many good things.
“Rodney and I have a lot to tell you.”
Her dad’s brows went up.
“It’s mostly good,” Rodney said, coming alongside of her, Theo’s hand held safely in one of his, while he took Kevin so Becky could turn to her parents and throw her arms around them both.
“I missed you,” she said as her mother held her close.
“And we missed you,” Kristen said, sounding like she was fighting back tears. “All four of us just couldn’t stay another day.”
“Griff and Chi came back too?”
“They did. They were right behind us, but wanted to give us a few minutes with Becky.” Luke looked at the kids again. “It seems like we’ve missed a lot.”
“You have.” Rodney met Becky’s gaze. It wasn’t going to be an easy conversation, but like the rest of the bumps in their marriage, they’d get through it and be closer for it. Plus, Luke and Kristen and Griff and Chi were going to be overjoyed about the kids.
The noise of tires on gravel made them all turn to see Griff and Chi pulling in.
“Let’s go into the house. I can’t wait to catch up.
” Becky smiled at her mom as she put her arm around Rodney’s waist and they walked toward the house together.
She said a silent prayer of thanks to the Lord, who had not withheld the cup of sorrow from her, but who had also filled her life with more love than she’d ever dreamed possible.
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